ZERO S01E05: The Cube Questioning
Episode 5: The Cube Questioning is the fifth episode of Star Rider ZERO, an online written show by Haou1987. It began on October 16, 2013. It features Mark and Ashley being captured and questioned by a secretive government agency on an unknown location. While being questioned, Mark is forced to push ZERO to the background but at the same time forced to relive some of his past cases, involving the Mexus Cartel. Characters introduced: QUEEN, Ramon Valerde, Freddie Verengue, Production and writing time: 'October 16, 2013 - October 18, 2013 Synopsis Mark could suddenly see again, the blindfold in front of his eyes was taken away, but all he could see was a blinding light and then suddenly total darkness. A voice spoke to him, he couldn't hear the voice well, it was a male voice. Ashley, he suddenly sat up, where was she? It was his fault she was with him in Dellaville and his fault she was wherever they were. He was calmed down when a normal light went on, and Agent 001 appeared in front of him. Agent 001 adresses him by his full name, Mark Wellace, going over his identity information and asks Mark for his name. Mark tells him he knows who Mark is, why the question. He then demands to see Ashley, he wants to know if she is okay. Agent 001 assures Mark she is fine for now, they are going to ask her the same questions as they will ask him. Just a routine question round, one Mark will have seen multiple times during the cases he worked as a journalist. Mark sighs and nods. Agent 001 sits down and tells Mark they will start five years ago, when he worked on an article about one of the Underlords of the Mexus Cartel, Ramon Valerde. As Agent 001 begins to question him, Mark begins to see the scene back in his head. ''Five years ago... A younger Mark Wellace was working at the New York Herald when Horace Morrow comes in and tells Mark the case of Ramon Valerde is going to be closed today, the judges deem there is to few evidence to support any claim of murders done by Valerde's hand to detain him. Mark says he expected it, Valerde knew how to play them, he knew how to stay out of the context. Horace Morrow warns him not to do what he thinks Mark is going to do. Mark tells him he has too, it is his duty as a reporter. Horace warns him the consequences of him publishing the article may be big coming from the Mexus Cartel. Mark tells him the public knows his reputation, they will believe him. Morrow grudgingly agrees to publish the article. Two days after the article is published, there is indeed no reaction to the article from the Mexus Cartel, but one day when Mark goes to the office, he recieves a photograph under his car's window washer, revealing a masked man next to the bed of his oldest daughter. Determined not to inform his wife and family of this he puts it in his pocket, still believing he did the right job, especially now the Cartel will try to push their influence in New York by these tricks. He nevertheless calls his mother and asks her if she could come watch over the children and Emma today. As he arrives at the old location of the New York Herald, the building explodes from the inside, knocking Mark unconscious. Present... Agent 001 tells Mark he was responsible for that attack. Evidently Ramon Valerde held him responsible and did not only threaten him at home but made the threat very real by blowing up the old Herald's building. Mark asks him what this has to do with why he and Ashley were picked up in Dellaville and Agent 001 tells him everything. The case of Ramon Valerde was an article Mark was able to set up with the help of Tommy Dallow, the same agent who was killed in a drive by almost two months ago. Then about a month ago, a hit was placed on Mark and he barely survived, also claimed by the Mexus Cartel. Then the bank heist on the Drumont Holdings Bank that was conducted by Madison Crena, an old friend of Sophie Grant-Dallow, the wife of Tommy. Agent 001 questions Mark's judgment if he cannot see how this is not related. And then Mark's unannounced visit to Dellaville, the old village where Madison Crena lived. And not even to mention the appearance of Star Rider ZERO in both the bank heist and Dellaville. At that point Mark's eyes begin to twitch and Agent 001 asks him if he is alright. Mark feels how the liquid armor begins to form around his waist, out of sight from Agent 001. Mark tries to supress it by begging ZERO not to do this. The liquid armor starts to disappear, when Agent 001 begins about Star Rider ZERO's accidents and what he left in his wake. He didn't do anything to prevent the destruction of the entrance of the hospital, he didn't do anything to turn himself in or make himself known after the bank heist. ZERO once again begins to form the liquid armor, this time starting around his back, but for some reason it is supressed, it wasn't Mark though. Agent 001 once again reiterates how Star Rider ZERO was both there and in Dellaville and it wasn't coincidence. Mark asks them how they could possibly know Star Rider ZERO was in there, did any witnesses confirm this, but Agent 001 breaks him off saying they have CCTV footage from inside the bank confirming Star Rider ZERO was in the bank and at the scene. There was also footage of his family being there. Could they possibly be the reason why the bank was targeted? It was widely known that Madison Crena, through her biological knowledge could prove to be a valuable asset to the Mexus Cartel. Mark tells Agent 001 they cannot even be sure she would fall into the hands of the Mexus Cartel. Agent 001 tells him they can be pretty sure as she disappeared after the bank heist. Surely after what happened to Tommy Dallow and his wife. They are everywhere and they will stop at nothing. Surely he must remember the Freddie Verengue case? Mark agrees on that point. Four years ago ... A four year younger Mark was sitting in a diner eating an egg omelet reading an issue of the New York Herald. The diner was on the opposite side of the street where the old building of the Herald was that was blown up after the article was published. As he was making notes from the paper, one of the waitresses places a filled coffee mug on his table. He tells the waitress he didn't order coffee. The waitress tells him it comes from the gentleman at the bar. At the bar sits Freddie Vervengue, waving at him. Mark sighs and Freddie comes sit down opposite of him. Freddie tells him he is surprised Mark is here, drinking coffee on the opposite side of the street of the old Herald building. Mark tells him he does not regret writing the article, he does regret the consequences that it had. Freddie laughs and says he heard, no surviving people that were in the building. Mark tells him those were co-workers, people he worked with, people he cared about. Freddie says the article Mark posted in the Herald, that harmed people as well, people he cared about. Same deal, different sides. And the Cartel can do so much more. Freddie looks at three single people one at a time, Mark following his gaze. Mark asks him what he did. Freddie tells him they are here for the show. The danger of the Cartel's actions is going to be very real. An old man starts to cough and vibrate heavily, falling on the ground. Various men run to him and Mark is about too, when Freddie reveals he has a gun pointed below the table. A red dot appears on Mark's chest. Freddie tells him he is going to walk out. Mark will not follow him, Mark will not try to find out the following: the two other glasses spiked with a Dinobyte overdose. If he does, the sniper on the rooftop on the opposite side of the street will shoot him. Freddie calmly walks out while Mark is frozen in his seat. Freddie tells him his coffee is on the house. As a woman and another man fall down, he can't do anything while the other people try to save the people. Present ... Agent 001 tells Mark he has read the reports, he has heard the statements from witnesses. The Cartel can come anywhere, they are everywhere. He asks Mark what it was that he had discovered that lead him to want to talk to Tommy Dallow. Mark tells him it had something that connected these attacks to a mole within the NYPD, the mole for the Cartel to the bombing and the Dinobyte incident at the cafetaria. Agent 001 tells him they are monitoring the trafficking of Dinobyte into New York and other major cities in America. Mark tells him it is not just Dinobyte he had a file on. More moles inside the NYPD and a secret spy structure within the New York authorities that would pretty much make any counter-action against the Cartel impossible. Again Mark is bothered by ZERO's apparent will to take over, but once again the armor formation is something he can suppress himself. Agent 001 expresses his regret over the death of Tommy Dallow, but the best way to avenge it is to tell him about the files so the government can act against the Mexus Cartel. Ashley, in the meantime, is in a seperate room, however unlike Mark, this one has more light and windows overlooking New York. She has been questioned by two Government agents, calling themselves Agent 002 and Agent 003. Agent 002 tells Ashley it is clear she has nothing to do with any of the events involving the Cartel and Mark. Ashley demands to be released then, there is no need for them to keep her there, so she can leave. Agent 002 puts a file on the table, a rather thick file, with her name on it. Ashley asks what this is. Agent 002 says her life. Ashley tells him it can't be that much of a file then, some modelling jobs and assistant work. Agent 003 tells her it is her entire life, they have been monitoring everyone in the New York Herald, but she sprung out. Ashley says that her life is her life and private, there is nothing they have to do with it. Agent 003 smirks, saying there is more to it, but yeah they are done. She can go, once they are done with Mark. Agent 001 says they are not done yet, the appearance of Star Rider ZERO and the killing of Tommy Dallow, a known mole and the two incidents they had discussed. Agent 001 wants to know if Mark plans at all to divulge any information he had to give to Tommy to them. Mark says he doesn't know them, he doesn't trust people who grab people from the streets and blindfold them. As they both agreed upon, the Cartel has men everywhere. Agent 001 gives him that and looks upon his watch. Mark asks him if he has to be somewhere. At that point a very faint female voice speaks in his head telling him it is time to end up. At first confused, Mark hears the voice explain she is a friend, she can help him get out unharmed and unconfronted by the men from the government. Having had his fair share of weirdness with ZERO, he thinks to himself it would be fine. The female voice tells him to hang tide. Agent 001 asks him what brought him to get Tommy Dallow to be his contact in the NYPD. Mark, ready now for anything, tells him it was a very funny accident actually, he was robbed in broad daylight. Eight years ago ... A very much younger Mark enters the NYPD precinct, looking for an officer. A young Tommy Dallow walks up to the desk and asks him how he can be of help. Mark tells him he is here to report him being the victim of a robbery and how his wallet had been stolen by a masked man at knifepoint in broad daylight. Tommy feels sorry for him and hands him a form, saying he needs to fill that in, he will get Mark a coffee. While filling in the form, Tommy notices the credentials of the New York Herald, asking him if he works there. Mark confirms this, telling him he is a junior reporter there. As Tommy recieves the form from Mark, two officers come past, greeting Tommy, who greets them back, one of them being Laurence Barrow. As it is revealed, Tommy is bound to the desk due a knee injury, and Mark tells him he knows a good fysiscist, he'll give him his number. Tommy smirks saying Captain Heynes wouldn't like that, captain Heynes would rather have him do it here in the NYPD gym. Mark formerly introduces himself as Mark Wellace and Tommy accepts the handshake. Tommy then recognizes Mark as the one who wrote those sports columns before and Mark laughs, saying that was a long time ago. Mark hands him his card, saying Tommy should give him a call sometime, maybe get a beer when he is not on duty. Tommy accepts the card and says he certainly will. Present ... Mark tells Agent 001 it took a while before Tommy called him, but it was all fine. At that moment the female voice in his head tells him it is showtime. Agent 001 gets a message on his phone telling him to come to the bridge, there is a helicopter inbound. Agent 001 leaves, mechanically locks the door and Mark sits there waiting. Five seconds later the door unlocks and Mark can walk freely out. The female voice tells him to continue walking south, he will get out. Another door opens, revealing Ashley being led out by Agent 002 and 003. Ashley asks Mark if he is alright and what they are supposed to do. The female voice keeps telling Mark to continue down the corridor and head out, it is all safe. As they exit the hallway they find themselves on a huge container ship on sea. Looking forward they see a helicopter waiting, with a pilot. The female voice tells Mark to get in there, it has all been settled. As Agent 001, 002 and 003 attempt to follow them, the door seperating Mark and Ashley from the agents automatically closes, locking them up inside. The female voice says she has overwritten the codes, they cannot come after them but they need to move. Arriving at the helicopter, the pilot asks them if they are Mark and Ashley, and when they confirm this, the pilot says he is Agent 004 and he has been instructed to fly them to New York, so buckle up. When finally seated, Mark finds out the way to communicate with the female voice is thinking to her, and she responds this is indeed. As the helicopter takes off, Mark thanks her, but asks her who and what she is. The female voice introduces herself as QUEEN and says they will meet again. As they circle around the ship to go into the right direction, a second black helicopter lands, revealing to be Agent Lokin seated inside. Agent Lokin exits the helicopter, looks at the other helicopter for a short second before heading to the door Mark and Ashley disappeared through. Meeting no-one in the hallway he heads to ops room and asks the available agents, including 001, 002 and 003 what that other helicopter was doing there. Agent 001 asks what helicopter. Agent Lokin tells them a helicopter just took off with two people and one of their agents in it. Who were those people? Agent 001 says they have no idea, they have been here for three days and didn't go off the base. Agent 002 believes it must be a misunderstanding or some maintenance crew that was here shortly, but Agent Lokin says they will get back on this, they have a more serious matter to handle now. He places a file on the table, with the name "Solarin" on it and three city names below it: New York, Amsterdam and London. He tells them he has come back from a briefing and the situation is worse then they feared. As Mark and Ashley sit back and relax, looking out the window, they finally see the container vessel for the last time. As they turn to watch a flock of seagulls fly past, the camera zooms in on the side of the container vessel, revealing the name "The Cube". The helicopter soon disappeared from sight. Trivia *Star Rider ZERO debuts of: Laurence Barrow *Second episode of the series and this season to make use of flashbacks, although this time to reflect on past experiences of Mark. Seasons 1 - 2 Season 1 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - '''5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 Category:Star Rider ZERO Episodes Category:Star Rider ZERO Season 1 Episodes